Eating organic

OK, so I know I can google this, but you guys seem to know what you are doing, so I'm asking you first. I would really like a good website or book to read about the benefits of organic food. Not some crazy website that says we are all going to die if we eat non organic food, but one that truly weighs the pros and cons. Does anyone have some info for me? I am trying to decide if it's really worth the investment. Any info you have or any good websites would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

OK, so I know I can google this, but you guys seem to know what you are doing, so I'm asking you first. I would really like a good website or book to read about the benefits of organic food. Not some crazy website that says we are all going to die if we eat non organic food, but one that truly weighs the pros and cons. Does anyone have some info for me? I am trying to decide if it's really worth the investment. Any info you have or any good websites would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I reference this (http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php) list when shopping for produce. We can't afford to eat all organic, but try to at least eat "the dirty dozen" organic, and never spend the extra money on the "clean fifteen".

I reference this (http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php) list when shopping for produce. We can't afford to eat all organic, but try to at least eat "the dirty dozen" organic, and never spend the extra money on the "clean fifteen".

A third vote for watching the dirty dozen and clean fifteen for fruits and veggies. It's the easiest way to help stretch your dollar for what truly makes a difference when it comes to organic.

For meat and dairy, I have a slightly different approach. You've heard you are what you eat, right? Well that's so true when it comes to meat. I don't worry so much if their food is organic as much as WHAT they are being fed. You want to look for things that are grass fed or free range as much as possible. What that means is instead of being held in a tiny area with way too many other animals and fed corn and soy feed, the animals graze on grass and bugs which (shocker!) is what they are physiologically supposed to eat. No antibiotics and no hormones are also big; most free range or grass fed farms already do this, but it's good to ask.

You probably won't find much of this in a grocery store, unless it's a high end organic one, which is usually very expensive.

We buy our beef/pork/lamb/chicken directly from local farms and either have it delivered or pick up from the farmer at our farmer's market. We have a freezer and buy in bulk; we pay about $6.50 per pound for 1/4 of cow, $5.50 per pound for 1/4 of a pig, $8 per pound for a whole lamb, and about $4 per pound for our mix of chicken. We buy eggs through our local CSA; they are $4 per dozen but soooo worth it. We don't drink regular milk due to some intolerance in my house, but some farms sell organic milk as well; it's probably easier to just get this in the grocery store. If you don't know of any places in your area, try this site:

It's a great way to see the local farmers in your area that follow these practices.

If I were starting out I would start with fruits and veggies, and then move into eggs and milk, and finally meats. The meats are the biggest price difference, but we think of it as spending now so that we don't have to spend as much on healthcare later ;) Good luck mama!

A third vote for watching the dirty dozen and clean fifteen for fruits and veggies. It's the easiest way to help stretch your dollar for what truly makes a difference when it comes to organic.

For meat and dairy, I have a slightly different approach. You've heard you are what you eat, right? Well that's so true when it comes to meat. I don't worry so much if their food is organic as much as WHAT they are being fed. You want to look for things that are grass fed or free range as much as possible. What that means is instead of being held in a tiny area with way too many other animals and fed corn and soy feed, the animals graze on grass and bugs which (shocker!) is what they are physiologically supposed to eat. No antibiotics and no hormones are also big; most free range or grass fed farms already do this, but it's good to ask.

You probably won't find much of this in a grocery store, unless it's a high end organic one, which is usually very expensive.

We buy our beef/pork/lamb/chicken directly from local farms and either have it delivered or pick up from the farmer at our farmer's market. We have a freezer and buy in bulk; we pay about $6.50 per pound for 1/4 of cow, $5.50 per pound for 1/4 of a pig, $8 per pound for a whole lamb, and about $4 per pound for our mix of chicken. We buy eggs through our local CSA; they are $4 per dozen but soooo worth it. We don't drink regular milk due to some intolerance in my house, but some farms sell organic milk as well; it's probably easier to just get this in the grocery store. If you don't know of any places in your area, try this site:

It's a great way to see the local farmers in your area that follow these practices.

If I were starting out I would start with fruits and veggies, and then move into eggs and milk, and finally meats. The meats are the biggest price difference, but we think of it as spending now so that we don't have to spend as much on healthcare later ;) Good luck mama!

*Sigh* You are so lucky. Here, the organic farms charge $10+ per pound for HAMBURGER. Steaks are close to $20 per pound. We can't afford to buy a whole large portion of a cow (and don't have the room to store it), so we eat lots of chicken instead. I buy the organic whole fryers from the store when they are marked down. It's still $10, but we get a few meals out of it at least.

*Sigh* You are so lucky. Here, the organic farms charge $10+ per pound for HAMBURGER. Steaks are close to $20 per pound. We can't afford to buy a whole large portion of a cow (and don't have the room to store it), so we eat lots of chicken instead. I buy the organic whole fryers from the store when they are marked down. It's still $10, but we get a few meals out of it at least.

That sucks mama. One of the reasons we haven't looked into moving anywhere else (DH could move to DC, San Diego, or Huntsville, AL with work) is because we know our cost of living is so cheap. South Carolina is great for local organic foods, and we definitely know how lucky we are.

That sucks mama. One of the reasons we haven't looked into moving anywhere else (DH could move to DC, San Diego, or Huntsville, AL with work) is because we know our cost of living is so cheap. South Carolina is great for local organic foods, and we definitely know how lucky we are.

Agreed. It's actually very expensive for people to become organic certified. Most important, at least I think, is was the food safely grown/processed, are pesticides used and how often, were animals given antibiotics and/or hormones, what are the animals fed. Nothing I buy locally is "certified" but it's better quality than some of the stuff I get at the big box organic stores.

Great point to bring up!

Agreed. It's actually very expensive for people to become organic certified. Most important, at least I think, is was the food safely grown/processed, are pesticides used and how often, were animals given antibiotics and/or hormones, what are the animals fed. Nothing I buy locally is "certified" but it's better quality than some of the stuff I get at the big box organic stores.

We live in the DC region and can get our meat at pretty close to what you were saying (though oddly I have had a tough time finding chicken I really should ask around on that one lol) and your absolutly correct about the certification! At the farmers market in Alexandria (yes it's like 30 miles for me but it's my fave since before we moved off of Andrews AFB where it was much closer lol) you can talk to all of the growers and they have always been totally upfront with me about anything that they do or don't use weather it's meat or eggs or produce it's one of the reasons I keep coming back. We have even visited a few of the sellers farms. Local trumps for me on this one as long as I know what's been used. Plus they have no problem giving me a serial plant killer advice on how NOT to kill the Hubby's garden :D !!!

We live in the DC region and can get our meat at pretty close to what you were saying (though oddly I have had a tough time finding chicken I really should ask around on that one lol) and your absolutly correct about the certification! At the farmers market in Alexandria (yes it's like 30 miles for me but it's my fave since before we moved off of Andrews AFB where it was much closer lol) you can talk to all of the growers and they have always been totally upfront with me about anything that they do or don't use weather it's meat or eggs or produce it's one of the reasons I keep coming back. We have even visited a few of the sellers farms. Local trumps for me on this one as long as I know what's been used. Plus they have no problem giving me a serial plant killer advice on how NOT to kill the Hubby's garden :D !!!

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